Make the Most of Your Small Vegetable Gardening Space

By Cindy Robles

Growing up, I lived in a 3 bedroom row home in the city. Although we did have a backyard, it wasn't large enough to have the garden my dad always wanted. But he know how to take advantage of his small space using a few techniques that I am about to share with you. None of them are over the top, just some practical, common-sense ways to enjoy high yields from a small garden space.

One of the easiest things you can do right now is to pick plants with high yields. By growing plants that produce abundantly, you will need to plant fewer of them. For instance, cherry tomato plants, peas, beans and zucchini all have very high yields. So, simply planting just one or two could produce all that you need.

Do you companion plant? Companion planting is the process of planting vegetables with different needs next to one another. It may mean that they require different nutrients and by planting them together, they do not fight for the same nutrients. Two plants can structurally support one another. For example, Royal Burgundy Beans planted between your corn will allow the beans to use the corn as a trellis. Or, it may mean that one plant provides needed shade for a smaller plant. I love planting lettuce under my tomatoes in the hot summer. You get a high yield of lettuce will into the summer because the tomato?s shade keeps the lettuce from bolting.

You should always try to rotate crops from season to season to prevent disease. In-season crop rotation is another way to increase your harvest. To accomplish this, you plant your vegetables based on their temperature requirements. Plant cold tolerant plants in the early spring when temperatures are cool and then replace them (after they have been harvested) with summer varieties.

Learn how to grow vegetables vertically. You might be limited on the amount of space you have, but the sky is the limit, literally, when you grow your plants vertically. Vegetables such as cucumbers, beans and some squash are great candidates for vertical growing. Allowing them to grow horizontally can consume a tremendous amount of your precious garden space. If plants grow up a strong structure, you can use all that vertical space to your advantage. And, this will allow you to grow more varieties, too.

As you can see, these simple solutions can help you realize an abundant vegetable garden harvest with limited space. Adopt these common-sense ideas and you will be well on your way to harvesting more vegetables from your garden this season. - 32616

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